Vol 9 Chapter 157: Prelude before the war (2)

Since the establishment of Dionia, there have been only two large-scale battles like this one. In the Western Mediterranean War, King Daves led the main force to fight the Carthage army in Sicily, but some of the soldiers in that war were It was provided by the allies, so there was a lot of moisture in the 100,000 soldiers; secondly, in the Gaul War, Leotichides led a large army to conquer Yamauchi Gaul, but in fact, his main force was not 100,000. Counting the partial division led by Patroclus, it only exceeded 100,000.
Therefore, this time it is really a 100,000 army composed of the regular Dionian army in the landing operation (the Balearic slingers belong to the special Dionian army and have a formal establishment in the Ministry of Military Affairs. They are usually stationed in Ibi. The training of the 18th Army in the Lea region occasionally participated in combat against the Iberian natives; the Gaul brigade was also a regular force, and the Ministry of Military Affairs was based on the previous Roman reserve brigade. It has been transformed into a regular army. It has been trained and commanded by the 14th Army stationed in the Po area. It has also participated in the war against the Ligurians with the Border Army. Now Liguria is still resisting in sporadic places. It has basically been settled, and the Gaul Brigade has contributed a lot), and it is enviable that Patroclus can command such a large army in such an important battle at such a young age!
Generals such as Oliver and Taginos looked at Patroclus who was talking and talking. They were very envious and jealous, but there was no trace of contempt. After all, Patroclus had a strange strategy in Etruscan. The deeds of annihilating the invading Roman army in a short period of time were amazing. After that, he led his army and stationed in Sangaul. In a few years, he not only stabilized the Po area, but also almost conquered Liguria... Therefore, he was able to become the head coach of the landing operation because of his outstanding commanding ability and past feats, not because he was the son-in-law of King Daves.
Plintors did not have these complicated thoughts. His mind was focused on the upcoming landing operation, and he frowned and continued to ask: "100,000 soldiers need at least 2,000 ships to transport, and there are still many landing sites. There are many islands on the east coast of Greece and the coastline is tortuous. How can we reach the landing site as quickly and accurately as possible? How can we ensure the safety of the fleet at sea?..."
"I will answer these questions." Sekerian took over the conversation without letting him say: "This time I, Midolades and Stefacas are responsible for the maritime security of the landing operation. Fleet 1, Fleet 2 and Fleet 3, a total of 1,200 warships will all fleets transporting soldiers and supplies, and will participate in operations at an appropriate time.
Today there are only two city-states in the Greek League that are likely to cause trouble for the transport fleet, Athens and Thessaly. According to intelligence, the Athens Navy has more than 80 warships, of which 50 are three-layer paddle warships. Recently, due to the support of its maritime allies, it may exceed a hundred. The Athens navy has relatively strong tactical capabilities, high ship handling skills, and aggressiveness. Seven days ago, our main navy assisted the army in conquering the islands on the west coast. The Athens fleet actually quietly approached the Gulf of Lagnia, and even the 1st left behind There was a battle in the 1st Squadron of the fleet. Because the Athenians were not familiar with our tactics, they lost several warships and later retreated voluntarily. This was also a small victory for our navy...
And Thessaly’s fleet has only been formed a few years ago, but it is said that Jason has invested a lot in this. There are nearly a hundred warships today, but there has never been any major battle. Up to now, our The intelligence personnel have never seen this fleet patrol the sea, and a fleet that likes to stay in the port is not capable of combat.
Therefore, based on the analysis of the enemy's situation, our navy made the following combat deployment on the day of landing. The 2nd Fleet and 3rd Fleet left the port before the transportation fleet departed. The Second Fleet blocked the Salong Bay, and the Third Fleet blocked the Gulf of Pergatha (the bay to the east of Thessaly) to prevent Athens and Thessa respectively. Lee’s warships went to sea to attack the transport fleet, and the five squads of the 1st Fleet escorted each transport fleet to the landing place--"
Sekrian said this, swallowed, moistened his throat, and continued: "In addition, I want to talk about the transport fleet that landed this time. The Ministry of Military Affairs recruited in various port towns in the kingdom a month ago. When transporting ships, we deliberately choose merchant ships familiar with the coastal routes of North Greece. In this regard, the chambers of commerce in various regions have provided great help, so there is no need to worry that the crew will be unfamiliar with the shipping route.
Moreover, the Ministry of Military Affairs has also devoted time to forming a formation of more than 2,000 merchant ships, clarifying their respective tasks and conducting unified training, so there is no need to worry about too much chaos in the fleet during landing.
There are more southerly winds in the Aegean Sea this season. We will choose the stronger day in the south as the landing day. According to my judgment, it may only take half a day for the fleet to reach the destination. "
Plintors listened carefully, his frowning brows did not fully stretch: "Our huge fleet may be facing more threats than Athens and Thessaly navy when it heads to Beihang—"
"I know that Lord Priintoles is talking about the Persian Navy." This time it was Midolades who was interjecting. He and Sekerian looked at each other and said with a smile: "We have nothing to do with the Persian Navy. Take it lightly, since the First Fleet was stationed in the waters south of the Peloponnese, it has been sending fast boats to monitor the movements of the Persian fleets in Asia Minor, and no abnormalities have been found so far.
After our 2nd Fleet returned from Egypt, we sent additional clippers to the waters near Crete to strengthen the observation of the Phoenician waters. From the information we have now, it seems that the Persians have begun to attack Egypt. A large number of warships are concentrated in Tyre and Sidon in Phoenician, and there is no sign of going westward to aid Greece. "
After listening to Plintors, he still asked with some worry: "100,000 soldiers, the rations consumed every day are huge, how do you solve it after you land?"
Patroclus replied without hesitation: "The Ministry of Military Affairs requires that every soldier must carry a five-day ration. After the landing is successful, they should occupy nearby port towns such as Lamia and Peleus as soon as possible to ensure that we carry materials. Of ships can enter the port to unload.
Of course, this is only temporary. Philae should be the base that can provide logistics supplies for the entire army very conveniently. According to the information we have obtained, Philae has already stockpiled a large amount of food. Those are all prepared for Jason’s army. Therefore, our landing troops must penetrate into the hinterland of Thessaly and capture Philae as soon as possible. "
A smile appeared at the corner of Patroclus’ mouth, and he confidently said: "Your Majesty also values ​​Philae very much. There have been some arrangements in advance, and I believe it will be of great help to the smooth capture of Philae. It is now the end of July. The time of our attack will be August, and the wheat is about to mature. Thessaly has a large number of fertile wheat fields, which can provide us with rations for the next few months..."
Until this time, Plintors looked a little dark, looked at the generals who had just arrived in Sparta, and said seriously: "It seems that your Majesty attaches great importance to this landing operation. With much preparation, I believe that you have also led the army to conduct multiple landing operations exercises. I have no doubts about it. I just hope that you will continue to pay close attention to the trends in the Aegean Sea in the next few days and then follow the actual situation. Improve your landing plan."
Plintorus apparently said these words in the capacity of chief of staff, and Patroclus and other generals nodded seriously.
Then Patroclus looked at Cloto Kataks and asked with concern: "Whether the landing in Thessaly is successful or not is the key to whether you can hold it here. I heard that you lost a lot in the battle against Sparta. Now, facing the massive offensive of the Greek coalition forces, is it a bit tight in terms of strength? Do I need some troops to support you?"
After fighting in the Peloponnese for more than two months, Croto Catacs is no longer lacking in self-confidence as he did at the beginning. Any decision must first be discussed with Plintors. He replied confidently: "Actually We did not lose much in the battle with Sparta. The four legions and one cavalry legion were complete. In addition, we could organize young black Laos and Piriasis from Messenia and Laconia. About 15,000 soldiers, the total strength can reach 45,000, and the Greek coalition forces are not too different.
What's more, they are offensive, we are defensive, and their strength is completely sufficient. And from the previous combat situation, the Greek coalition forces are not good at siege. Their siege equipment is simple and the method is very single, and they are not even brave enough to pose a big threat to our defensive camp. In fact, even without you We also have the confidence to hold on to the low morale of the Greek coalition forces and eventually have to retreat. "
When Patroclus heard this, he frowned and reminded directly: "I suggest you not to defend too hard, and you should make some concessions to make the Greek coalition taste the sweetness and not want to retreat. We need Containing the Greek coalition forces in the Peloponnese, making it impossible to rescue Thessaly in time!"
Cloto Kataks was taken aback.
Plintors, who was reminded, reacted quickly and immediately persuaded: "Commander Patroclus said it is very reasonable. Before, our tenacious defense was to defend Messenia and Laconia. Now we must protect For the smooth implementation of the landing plan, we can consider giving in a bit, such as taking the initiative to abandon a defensive camp..."
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